


A Little Something to Dull the Pain

by bad_ash10



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: F/M, drunk May
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-03
Updated: 2020-03-03
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:57:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,135
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22996537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bad_ash10/pseuds/bad_ash10
Summary: May takes a bit of a beating a mixes some pain killers and alcohol while she and Coulson wait for extraction. Of course, she then almost starts a bar brawl, and admits a little of her feelings for Phil.
Relationships: Phil Coulson/Melinda May
Comments: 9
Kudos: 62





	A Little Something to Dull the Pain

**Author's Note:**

> Found this in my WIP folder from over a year ago. Is it great? No. But at least I made the effort to get around to editing it after a year! Some progress in writing is better than no progress, right?

He knew she was furious with him. Being friends for nearly three decades had taught him how to interpret her silences. They had been on a mission and he screwed up, causing Melinda to have to come in to rescue him. She had taken a beating in the process, but at least they now had some downtime before Daisy and the rest of the team arrived in the morning.

Coulson led her to a booth in the corner, giving them a view of the entrances. “How many times do I have to apologize, Melinda?”

She glared at him as she slid gingerly into the booth.

He sighed. “I’ll get us some drinks then.”

Coulson returned, a glass of Scotch in one hand and a pint of beer in the other. She raised her eyebrows in question.

“I figured this would help numb the pain a bit,” he said, sliding her the Scotch.

“Trying to get me drunk?” she deadpanned.

He gave a small chuckle. “It’d be suspicious if we’re the only ones in a bar not drinking. You drink what you want. I’ll stick with the one beer and keep watch.”

Melinda narrowed her eyes in response. “Not sure I should trust you after what happened earlier.” She moved to grab the glass, a grimace crossing her features as she did so.

“Consider it part of my apology. You enjoy yourself.” Coulson figured she wouldn’t take him up on the offer since she had taken some strong pain killers as he stitched up a cut on her arm, but he felt he should make the offer anyway.

She studied him a moment longer, considering his proposal. “Fine.” May picked up her glass and downed it in one gulp before picking up his beer and claiming it as her own.

\----------

As the night progressed, Phil noticed the three drinks Melinda had had were hitting her much harder than usual as she was now trying her best to get him to play pool.

“Phil, come plaayyy.” She was drunk at this point and dragging her words out in almost a sing-song voice.

“I’m not much good now that I have the robo-hand. It’s got all the bells and whistles, but can be a bit of a liability every now and then.” 

Hearing his excuse, she whined. “Phiiiil.”

He finally managed to convince her to find someone in the bar to play against instead, but upon seeing her choice of opponent, Phil immediately got the feeling this would not end well. She intentionally let her opponent go first, tricking the burly biker into thinking he had the upper hand. When the man finally yielded his turn, she had sunk every one of her balls in rapid succession, getting an angry shout from her opponent. “YOU _BITCH!_ ”

Sighing heavily, Phil stood and threw enough money on the table to pay their tab before making his way quickly toward the pool table. Melinda was jabbing her finger into the man’s chest, but she was speaking too quietly for him to hear her comments. The biker had at least a foot and a half and a 100-pound advantage, but Melinda was obviously feeling too cocky to be concerned.

Phil could finally hear the last of her statement as he approached the table. “…And the horse you rode in on.”

_Oh, hell. Melinda is drunkenly picking a fight while we are supposed to be laying low._

Coulson stepped between them as the larger man opened his mouth to speak. “I apologize, sir. She’s had a bit too much to drink and isn’t quite herself.” He turned back to May, hoping to appeal to her logical side. “Melinda, let’s just go back to the booth. We’re still waiting on our friends, so we need to stay here for a bit. Remember?”

“Back off, Phil. He insulted me.” Her eyes were a bit glassy, and being this close to her, it was obvious she was not as steady on her feet as usual. How she was still an expert pool player was beyond him.

Coulson grabbed her arm and attempted to steer her back to their booth, apologizing over his shoulder to the man again and hoping that they would avoid making a scene and drawing attention to themselves.

“Don’t you dare touch me,” she hissed, trying to jerk her arm away, but he tightened his grip further.

He led her toward the door, barely managing to keep hold of her struggling form. Had she been either sober or uninjured, she would’ve broken free from his grasp easily. He whispered in her ear, “Melinda, stop trying to make a scene. We’re still trying to keep a low profile until the team picks us up, remember?”

If looks could kill, he would have dropped dead in that instant; she hated when he was right.

\----------

Once they made it out of the bar and into the night air, Phil convinced Melinda to walk with him to the safe house they would be staying at overnight since it was only a few blocks away. The chilly December air made them both shiver, despite the coats they were wearing.

They had gone about half a block when Melinda surprised him by sliding an arm around his waist. She mumbled something about being cold, but he didn’t mind. He immediately put his own arm around her, already feeling warmer as they continued toward their destination.

They continued in silence until they were nearly to the safehouse, and surprisingly, May was the one to break the silence. “Phil?” Apparently, the brisk evening air was doing a fair job of sobering her up since her voice was much clearer than when they left the bar a few minutes earlier, though she still seemed to be leaning on him for stability.

“Yeah?”

“I’m sorry. I don’t think pain meds and alcohol are a good combination.”

He stopped in front of the ancient brick townhouse they would be staying in until the team arrived for their extraction and gently pulled her to face him. “You have nothing to be sorry for, Mel. I screwed up and you got hurt trying to fix my mistakes. I’m the one who’s sorry.”

She locked eyes with him, and he could see the exhaustion and remainder of the effects of the alcohol. “I was worried about you, Phil. And I was pissed because you got kidnapped, tied up, and were about to be tortured. Not because I got a little banged up getting you out.”

“I would’ve gotten out of there eventually,” he protested jokingly as he enveloped her in his arms. She wrapped her own arms around him as well, and rested her head against his chest, both enjoying the warmth and comfort of the other’s embrace without worrying if their teammates were watching or listening.


End file.
